About Eugenics
An essay from 2003, when I was a medical student and looked like this: Definition Eugenics is the sub-branch of the science of human genetics that is occupied with measures concerning the control of the genetic features of a population. Widukind Lenz (1919 - 1995), one of the pioneers of human genetics in Germany, differentiates between two types of eugenics: Positive eugenics: measures to stimulate the spreading of genetic traits that are considered good Negative eugenics: measures to repress the spreading of genetic traits that are considered bad The fact that the terms "good" and "bad" appear imply that eugenics is not based on objective findings, but that it is highly dependent on ethic values. Who decides what features are good or bad? It is the government of the country in which eugenics is practised. Motivation Overall there seem to be three reasons why a government may decide to enact eugenic measures: Public Health: The government may believe th...